damage around them and rebuild their lives. the show we were going to air was an hour with a new cast of broadway's "annie." the sun will come out tomorrow ens after air

tragedy. people always take advantage of the vulnerable chaotic situation. >> it's just terrible. >> got to believe in karma with folks like that. >> officials have always said security will increase as the lights come back on. >> that is somewhat easier said

than done. as abc's ron claiborne reports the effort to get the power glowing again is now a national one. >> reporter: it's a massive effort for a massive problem. 64,000 utility workers in a dozen states working around the clock to turn the power on. in remote areas of appalachia and from ohio well into new england, it's a race against time, as temperatures drop into the 30s in places. >> it's cold. it's dark. >> we know this is a big deal. we know it's cold out. we know it's going to rain in a few days. we know we need to get lights on as quickly as we possibly can. >> reporter: getting the lights on means bringing in more than 40,000 workers from 49 out of 50 states. in california, the air force began airlifting more than 60 utility vehicles to new york aboard huge cargo planes. and these workers from alabama pitching in near hard-hit atlantic city. >> they understand the value that comes from being able to serve others.

>> reporter: at its peak, more than 8 million customers had no electricity. it's half that number now, and a million more get their power back each day, better than after hurricane irene. on long island, we found this crew working 16-hour days, their own homes without electricity, repairing a downed line for powerless residents. >> i saw the truck down the street. i said, i hope they're coming my way. >> reporter: the crew was, and moments later, lights came on for the first time since monday. >> oh, yeah. >> yay! >> we just got our lights back. thank you, lord. >> reporter: these workers you see here, they are replacing a telephone pole, utility poles that were blown over by the storm. it is slow work. it takes about two hours to remove and replace each one of them, it gives you some idea why it could be a week or longer before everyone gets power back. and in the meantime, it is forecast, there could be a winter storm approaching the northeast sometime late next week.

ron claiborne, abc news, east rutherford, new jersey. utility workers cut off the natural gas flow to extinguish those fires that destroyed dozens of homes since monday. the move will affect nearly 30,000 customers, but protect what's left along the ravaged barrier islands. some evacuated residents returned for the first time, but others are still waiting to see if they have a home to go back to. well, no doubt it is the very last thing any of us want to hear right now. as you heard in ron claiborne's report just a second ago, another storm could be on the way to this area. >> it's unbelievable. forecasters say a nor'easter is developing off the coast. here's meteorologist jim dickey of accuweather.com. >> good morning, rob and sunny. unfortunately, keeping it chilly across the northeast. many spots without power. these are temperatures you expect you step out the door this morning. many in the 30s. burlington, syracuse, around the freezing point, pittsburgh, detroit. it's not going to end. sandy, what's left of it, large

area of low pressure spinning over canada continuing to usher in chilly air. a couple showers here, nothing much in the way of precipitation but this northwesterly wind will continue. that brings that chilly air in out of can did turning progressively colder each night headed through the weekend and that sets the stage for potentiacoastal snowstorm. wouldn't be anything like sandy here. more your typical nor'easter. two potential paths, one could take it out to sea. rob and sunny, back to you. >> say it ain't so. new york officials are facing criticism for going forward with the new york marathon this sunday despite the devastation left behind by sandy. the actual course through the city's five boroughs suffered little damage. runners will arrive by bus or ferry to the starting line in staten island and traces of the storm have already been cleared from the finish line in central park. mayor miael bloomberg defended the decision to hold the race. >> by sunday we'll have electricity back downtown. that will free up an enormous

number of police. also, a lot of the transportation needs that we have during the week aren't there on the weekends. this city is a city where we have to go on. >> the marathon brings the city about $340 million. organizers will use the event to raise money for storm recovery efforts and already donated a million dollars and collected even more in pledges from sponsors and so that brings us to our facebook question of the day. >> here we go. we want to know, do you think the new york city mar thong should be held as scheduled? let us foe what you think. logon to our facebook page at wnnfans.com. you believe they should go ahead. >> i do. we've been talking about this for a few days. yes, i mean i did run the marine corps marathon and i remember we did it at the u.s. attorneys office, a group of prosecutors to raise money for aids and aids awareness and raised a lot of money and the district got a lot of money because there are a lot of people that travel in, the local businesses thrive during

that time and $340 million is a lot of money for the city. >> i get it. >> after this devastation. >> i get the economy. i get the charity, part of it. i get that folks have already booked hotels and flights. i get that you want to make a statement that new york is still going to be new york and all that, they're still finding bodies in home. cops and workers have been working for days long shift. it's time to restrain resources and running in all that hoopla that folks just lost everything. there's no right answer. >> i wonder what our viewers think. >> chime in. we will we read some of those responses on monday. coming up our coverage of the aftermath of hurricane sandy continues. up next, we introduce you to some dedicated health workers who are making sure some of our most vulnerable citizens have what they need to survive. first here again is how you can help. you're watching "world news now." every time someone chooses finish over cascade,

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we've seen lots of images of the national guard, firefighters and power company officials coming to work after the storm. >> is another army of aid workers, nurses and volunteers going door to die in high-rises without elevators to help many people in their own homes. diane sawyer made the rounds with several of them. >> reporter: they are out in the dark. the national guard meals on

wheels. >> thank you for coming to my door. >> reporter: carrying heavy loads up stair after stair in high rises. >> it's really dark. >> reporter: people like nurse rosita ortiz, one of the thousands of people who work with visiting nurse service of new york, checking on patients who have little food, little water, no power. can i carry that pack for you? >> no. >> reporter: what kind of medicine for her? >> she's short of insulin. >> reporter: 17 stories later, we knock on the door. >> coming. >> reporter: carmen wester, and her daughter, homebound, her daughter on a walker. we want to know how you're doing. >> i am doing fine. >> reporter: really? >> i was scared to death. >> reporter: they tell us, this is their only water. that's all the water you have left? >> it's almost gone. >> reporter: they've also run out of batteries. they used candles last night. >> last night, it was dark.

it was dark, and i was -- i was going like this, touching the walls to get to the bathroom. i was this close. i couldn't find the bathroom. >> reporter: rosita checks carmen's blood pressure, takes her temperature, makes sure she's all right. and carmen shows me the carmen she used to be. >> i was 26 years old. >> reporter: as we head back downstairs, an endless stream of need. a 70-year-old woman trying to carry up jugs of heavy water. oh, this is heavy. let me. a 53-year-old woman who has to read lips, who tells me she has breathing problems, her chest hurts. would you come down and go to see a doctor? >> yeah. >> reporter: okay. come with us. we take her to the emergency room. take care of you. >> thank you. >> you have think about in a tragedy like this, the elderly and children with medical conditions where they need constant care or where one missed dose of medicine is the

difference between life and death. god bless all of those. >> heroes. my best friend is a home health care nurse and has been leaving -- i'm staying with her because she has power and she's been leaving the house at 4:00 in the morning because she has to get to her patients because she's providing insulin and injections and taking care of people's wounds. these are people that have to go to work. i mean, you know, a hero. >> doing angelic work. we'll be right back after this.

♪ >> a california woman beat the odds big time and did it more than once. she won $23 million bucks in the lottery five monthsgo and never knew it. >> and then with the deadline approaching, lottery officials

published her photo and she lucked out one more time. abc's nick watt has the amazing details. >> reporter: this is michael's liquor store in palmdale, california, where the mystery winner bought her ticket. a $23 million winner, but the months passed and she just didn't come forward. lottery officials released security camera footage from michael's in the hope that somebody would recognize her. >> yeah, so i remember the lady walked in, she bought a bottle of water, she purchased it, and she walked out. as soon as she headed to the door, her mom yelled to her, she was like, just buy a lotto ticket. >> reporter: a $1 ticket, she bought only one, but time was running out to claim. now, the winner just told lottery officials that her daughter recognized her on the tv this morning. she then ran to her car, searched for that ticket, and, thankfully, she found it. nick watt, abc news. >> she only bought one ticket. >> bought one ticket and $23 million. >> see.

you ever play the lottery? >> every now and then. every now and then. i'm going to call that girl, though and see if i can get 10%. "the mix is" next. stay with us, everybody. you disgust me.

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we've been talking all week the similarities between what we're seeing up here and what the folks down in the gulf coast experienced back in 2005 with katrina and found this online and wanted to read it and close out the week and show this way, a letter from new orleans to folks here in the northeast. it reads this "dear northeast, wow, is your week about to suck. potentially will continue to be so for many months but ultimately you'll come out it okay. people find a way. you will become very resourceful. you'll bond with your friends and neighbors in ways you never expected and you'll have a lot of love and help from the the rest of us from far away too. all that said i hope you're ready for a fight. there might be someone to tell you whatever happened it was punishment from god, you're an idiot for where you live and

your homes should be abandoned, that you deserve this misery that the rest of us should not be responsible for taking care of, you're not worth saving. don't listen to those people. we know what you're going to. if you need to, call us. you can stay with us as long as you need to because when the crap flies we're all responsible for each other. it's the only way to survive." and with that, end this week out, as we always do, the friday polka. ♪ >and with that, end this week out, as we always do, the friday polka. ♪ >and with that, end this week out, as we always do, the friday polka. ♪ >and with that, end this week out, as we always do, the friday polka. ♪ and with that, end this week out, as we always do, the friday polka. ♪

♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪

this morning on "world news now," cries for help. a community in the dark with a growing death toll pleads for relief. >> it's only one of many neighborhoods where frustration is growing. it's friday, november 2nd. good friday morning. i'm sunny hostin. paula faris is on assignment. >> and i'm rob nelson. the end of an extraordinary week. >> yeah. >> yeah. there is no relief in sight though for many storm-ravaged communities who by the day are growing more desperate. >> some of whom have lost everything, parts of new york city are still unpassable causing chaos for commuters. restricting car travels are forcing miles long walks for

many and even if they are able to drive, gas is proving a scarce and valuable commodity. i mean i was complaining about being able to get gas yesterday but it was very expensive and i went to the same gas station this morning. no more gas. >> incredible. they're running out and some people are complaining about three or four-hour commutes to get into manhattan. three or four hours. insane from a traffic perspective and the storm impacting the presidential election. polling places were destroyed in the storm so now some will vote at military trucks. that is raising concern. we've asked that question for days. what impact would this have in terms of enthusiasm and turnout and pure logistics. where and how can people vote we'll get to that sandy was not far from the mind even as the top country music stars took to the stage for their biggest night of the year. how they paid tribute to the victims of the storm. that's coming up. but up first, yes, sandy's aftermath here in new york city,

commuters have one more day to deal with before a very welcomed weekend. >> power is being restored in areas of lower manhattan which had been in the dark, but progress is slow and nerves are fraying in the burrow of staten island certainly especially the most hard hit of new york's five boroughs. abc's cynthia mcfadden is there. >> reporter: every massive tragedy has within it a whole series of smaller ones. one such played out behind me, though, that staircase led to a house, where a mother, father and 13-year-old girl lived. only the mother survived. staten island has a whole series of stories just like that one. in staten island today, a cry for help. >> we're going to die! if we get killed with the weather, we're going to die! we're going to freeze! we got 90-year-old people! >> reporter: this woman pleading with government officials for gasoline, food and clothing. >> you don't understand. you've got to get your trucks

here on this corner now! >> we are trying to -- >> this is three days. >> reporter: this is one of the hardest-hit communities in new york city. thousands still without power, many homeless. 19 people dead. in devastated neighborhoods, overwhelmed by a violent surge of water, residents describe a supersized wave, as high as 20 feet. >> it was coming in rushing like a rapid. >> reporter: well, welcome to your house, huh? we met this man, mike abruzzo. his house is completely gone. just the floorboards remain. he and his wife and two young daughters have been staying with relatives. >> and my youngest daughter yesterday, faith, said, "daddy, i want to go home." i told her "it's going to be awhile, hon." she don't understand. she's 6. >> reporter: he gives us a tour of what once was. one beautiful christmas plate. that's going to be a special plate at your house. >> that's going to have my mother's cookies on it.

>> reporter: search teams have been hunting for two brothers, just 2 and 4 years old, swept out of their mother's arms after their car was caught in the floodwater. their small bodies were found. staten island officials sounded increasingly desperate. >> this is america. this is not a third world nation. we need food. we need clothing. >> reporter: as for the woman who was begging officials for help, the red cross now has a truck on her street with plenty of food and water. the national guard is here and things are much better, according to the city officials we spoke to. i'm cynthia mcfadden for abc news in staten island. hundreds of other communities in new york and new jersey, 90 deaths are being blamed on this storm. >> we've seen that death toll creep up and up and up every day this week. millions still have power. there are long lines for the little gas that's still left. abc brandi hitt is joining us

from new york. hi, brandi. >> reporter: good morning, rob and sunny. tension is growing days after hurricane sandy swept through. many people say they still haven't received any food or aid. and people trying to work here in new york city, they've been stuck in gridlock. the death toll continues to rise in the aftermath of hurricane sandy. officials promised fema is doing everything it can to help. >> we want to help get things back to normal as quickly as possible. schools open, stores open. >> reporter: in new jersey, emergency crews and the national guard are still going door to door searching for survivors where families have been stranded by floodwaters for days. natural gas fires continue to burn in man locating where homes were flattened and with millions still in the dark, 64,000 utility workers in a dozen states are working around the clock to turn the power on. >> one pole at a time. how you got to go. you got to pick through it. >> yay! >> got our lights back. thank you, lord. >> reporter: commuters have been

ordered to have at least three people in their cars and gas lines are growing. >> i hagot here at 9:59 a.m. an it's 1:00 in the afternoon, three hours. >> reporter: the coast guard is now helping to bring fuel into the city and sunday's big new york city marathon is still a go despite criticism that the runners will be traveling near areas devastated by sandy. rob and sunny? >> in new jersey, many people were allowed back into their neighborhoods for the first time since sandy ravaged the coastline. some found minor damage. others total destruction. >> seaside heights is now under martial law which is frustrating to some home owners being kept away. >> i don't care about buildings. i don't care about anything but lives. you can always rebuild a house. >> i want to see if it's there. you know, i don't think it's there, but if it's not there then i got to do what i got to do. >> atlantic city, meanwhile, is still under mandatory

evacuation. sandy is bringing out the best in people but like all natural disasters it's also bringing out the worst. officials are warning americans to be on alert for stm-related scams of all things. they say they can come in the form of bogus charities, seveny home repair offers and sales of flooded, damaged cars. if you suspect a scam you can report it by calling the national fraud line at 866-720-5721. and here's a look at how to help the victims of hurricane sandy. to donate $10, just text the word redcross to the number 90999 or go to redcross.org to find other ways to pitch in. the storm is having a major impact on election day, as well. officials are ordering generators, moving voting locations and figuring out how to transport poll workers. along the jersey shore military trucks will serve as polling places and voters will cast paper ballots. the state is also extending the

deadline on mail in ballots. incredible what the impact would be and even talk early on that obviously didn't materialize about maybe postponing the election a week or two but would be a logistical or perhaps legal nightmare. >> absentee ballots or absentee voting is being delayed a bit. >> a little bit. >> extending it. >> trying to do what they can to accommodate many people. if you lost your home, out of power, the last thing on your mind who is going to be the president. worried about getting through the day and food on your table. some will be distracted. you have to worry about the impact on turout. people have greater concerns. >> of course, of course. >> when mother nature is concern number one, not the white house. so we have to see how it plays out. at least states are taking steps to accommodate folks. you wonder in the aftermath of the election as tight as they say, what about this state and this area, we couldn't get to the polls. >> and the legal challenges if it's very, very close. i suspect we're going to see that, as well. >> could end up in court again.

we hope for the best but we'll see. turning to our other major story, the final days of the presidential campaign. just four days to go now before the big vote. president obama was back on the trail yesterday making appearances in three battleground states. he wrapped up his day with a rally in boulder, cole colt. the president took some pointed jabs at mitt romney saying his economic plan is just a rehash the policies that led to the country's economic crisis and heads to the all-important state of ohio later today. and for his part, mitt romney was in virginia at several campaign stops. he criticized the president for not doing enough to help businesses. also romney said the nation needs a president who understands business better. romney's aides are conceding that the storm's slowed some of his momentum but insist their internal polls show him ahead in some of those toss-up states. romney visits wisconsin and also ohio today. and from the lighter side of politics, vice president biden

went on david letterman's show last night to read his top ten list. >> oh, joe, the subject, the top ten reasons to vote early. here's some of the highlights. >> if you vote early you don't have to pay taxes. i'm sorry, i'm being told that's not accurate >> that's not accurate. number two. >> early voters receive a $5 million donation from donald trump. >> wow! and the number one good thing about voting early, ladies and gentlemen -- >> honestly, don't you want this election over with already? >> yes, we do! >> i think we all do. >> i love that. >> that was good. >> that was good. >> congrats to letterman's writers. what's coming up, we'll introduce you to a 99-year-old woman who's rocking the vote for the first time in her life. >> great story. first a live look at the country music awards with our media and entertainment consultant bruno del granado who won big, who looked great. all that and more when "world

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♪ i'll turn on the charm you'll be in the slammer and i'll be -- >> while the stars were shining in nashville last night for the 46th annual country music association awards. >> country music is changing and the cmas honored both its newest stars and some of its vets. joining us live via skype is music and media consultant bruno del granado. always good to have you, bruno. thanks for being with us again. >> good morning, guys. >> good morning. well, tell us who were the big winners of the music awards this year. >> the big winners were blake shelton and his wife miranda lambert. blake walked away with three awards including the top award which is entertainer of the year so certainly proved to everybody he has a voice no pun intended. >> that's right because he's one of the hosts of "the voice," right. i their he does a great job on that show. >> bruno, we understand some somber moments as well. they did pay tribute to the hurricane sandy victims as well,

right? >> yes, the host brad paisley and carrie underwood hosting it for five years in a very before they started the mon locate they urged people to make a donation to the red cross society and brad before he performed his own song "southern comfort zone" lifted some words from "empire new york state of mind" and new york and new jersey and urged people to pray for them. >> that's sort of unusual to have the same host for five years in a row. how did they do this year? how are they doing. >> they were great. i don't though why brad paisley wasn't chosen to host "idol" instead of keith urban. he is a tremendous comedian. he's fast on his feet and carrifrmecar rie underwood is great if she ever wants to host her own show. >> you can't talk about awards without mentioning taylor swift. how did the belle of the ball do

last night. >> she was shut out of every single nomination she had but it's her week because she just released the new album entitled "red" which has shattered sales r0rds. first week sales 1.2 million. these kind of sales haven't been seen since actually in over a decade so taylor swiftd is laughing all the way to the bank on this. >> and last but not least, what about mr. willie nelson. did he make an appearance yesterday. >> oh, highlight of the evening, sunny. he received a willie nelson lifetime achievement award. lady antebellum. faith hill all paid tribute and was allowed to perform and unlike on the grammys where people receive lifetime achievement awards and nothing else. it goes to show he still has everything. he's so talented and he's really a true living legend. >> absolutely. i'm sure as always willie was high on life last night in light of that award, bruno.

as always, man, appreciate you being here. thanks for all the insight, bruno. >> thanks. >> take care. >> thanks. up next, it might be a good weekend for a little escapism. so we'll bring you a look at two new flicks opening this weekend. i certainly plan -- >> i know what you want to see. out friday morning edition of "insomniac theater" is coming up next. stay with us.

♪ welcome back. insomniacs we're guessing you might need an extra dose of diversion this weekend. >> absolutely. two new movies premiering today just might do the trick. first, the new denzel washington movie getting a lot of praise mere. >> denzel is in it. >> exactly, one of your favorites, one of the best in the business, mr. washington. he stars as a pilot many named

whip whitacre, a seasoned vet of the business and has to crash land his plane, getting a sense of that in the clip, mid-arika tass trophy but crash lands it and saves nearly everyone on board, but after the crash, as things develop some questions emerge about exactly what happened. what went wrong and questions about whip himself the man so that is very interesting too. take a listen. >> an initial report shows that you had alcohol in your system. >> yeah. so that -- that doesn't mean anything. i had a couple of beers -- >> this toxicology report states that you were drunk and if it is proven that your intoxication was the cause of the death of four passengers now we're going to look at four counts of manslaughter. >> hmm, getting interest. 80% favorable rating fm rotten tomatoes. "usa today," three out of four stars and says it's his best performance since 2001's

"training day." "chicago tribune" says denzel has perfected playing imperfect men. >> oscar buzz. >> go check it out. >> perfect weekend for a kids' movie. a lot haven't been in school for a week so like mine they are stir crazy. this is called "wreck-it ralph." it's a walt disney animation studios -- basically "wreck-it ralph" is in a game. a game character but he's a bad guy and he wants to be a good guy. check this out. >> hey, are you a hobo? >> no. i'm not a hobo, but i am busy, okay, so you go home. >> what's that? didn't hear you. your breath is so bad it made my ears numb. >> listen, i try to be nice -- >> i ash. >> you're mimicking me. >> you're mimicking me. >> okay. >> okay. >> so it's gotten 83% favorable rating by rotten tomato. "san francisco chronicle" says it's delightly off the rail so

probably a great movie to check out. >> not bad at all. very cool. >> for kids. >> scared of flying or go do something with the kids. you have a choice this weekend. we'll be right back after this. it's strange, i'm getting gray,

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enough is enough. d-con no view, no touch trap snaps to kill instantly. no looking, no touching. d-con. get out. ♪ power to the people power to the people ♪ ♪ power to the people well, finally voters can expect long lines this year on election day in states where there is early voting, they've already seen a lot of that. this one, though, is our favorite story of the day. >> been a while since we had one of these. well, one ft. myers woman surely has the record for the longest wait, casting her ballot for the very first time at age 99. chad oliver of our station in ft. myers, florida, has her story. >> reporter: within the ordinary comes the unexpected. >> amazing person, 99 years old, still has her right mind. >> reporter: hello.

>> hello. >> reporter: here to see miss rosie. >> yes, come right in. come right in. >> reporter: never far from her bible in her favorite chair ballot in hand. >> trust in the lord to let me go on. >> reporter: ruthie lewis' life spanned 24 presidential elections. this is the time she's voted in one. >> she completely understands what she just did. my grandmother never forgets anything. >> i said, when and where because i'll be there. >> reporter: family friend gerry ware registered her inspired by barack obama's election four years ago. >> i said i'm going if the lord spare my life this time and i made it up to my mind to vote. >> reporter: miss rosie has lived through major turning points in american history, she was just a child when the 19th amendment gave women the right to vote. she was well into her 50s by the time jim crow laws were abolished giving her the chance to do what she did today. >> she was already set in her

ways and really wasn't thinking about politics. >> reporter: now rosie is not secretive about who she supports. >> i love obama. >> reporter: you love obama? >> i love obama. >> reporter: rosie requested her ballot in the pail and her friend turned it in. >> miss rosie should be an inspiration to all of our young people and old. >> reporter: in ft. myers, chad oliv oliver. >> how do you not love that story. >> isn't that something. if she can rock the boat i think we can all get out and vote. >> there is no excuse. i don't care who you're supporting, no matter what age, where you're at, the storm, whatever, get out there and be heard. if she can do it at 99 years old >> that's right. we can all do it. >> hey, still strong in mind, still strong in spirit. a lot to be said about that. we salute you, man, that's for sure and that is the news for this half hour of the show. remember to follow us on facebook at wnnfans.com. >> and on twitter @bsabcw@bsabc. more news coming up from abc. a.

this morning on "world news now," new york city, island of fear and frustration. people desperate days after sandy. on staten island, a tragic picture of devastation and death is emerging. it's friday, november 2nd. good friday morning, everybody. i'm rob nelson. >> and i'm sunny hostin. paula faris is on assignment. and we'll get to those surreal scenes. really they are surreal from staten island in just a moment. and also this half hour, running on empty. lines are getting longer and tempers, of course, getting shorter as people wait hour after hour trying to buy soline. >> the tough part, not just

because people have longer commutes because the traffic is crazy, but they need it for generators back at home because they have no power. gas, a lifeline, waiting forever to get the fill-up. it's crazy. also this half hour, we will turn our focus to the final four days in the race for the white house and how the candidates will make the most of their last big push on the campaign trail. it is almost verdict day. >> yes, four days. and later, star power coming together to help the survivors of sandy. the singers, the celebrities and a big donation very close to all of us here. in tragedy you sometimes do get to see just the best in people. >> you do, and it's a shame it takes tragedy to bring folks together, but so often that's the case, but a lot of good will come out of that concert. a lot of folks pitching in. some details on that. first the reason behind the concert, the misery we mentioned right here in new york post-storm now four days after sandy hit, we're seeing scenes

of the complete devastation in some areas of staten island. sandy's death toll is now at least 90 with almost half of them in new york. power outages are still over 4 million homes and businesses. while inspecting the damage in staten island yesterday, federal and local officials got an earful from one very frightened resident. >> we're going to die. we're going to freeze. we got 90-year-old people. >> well, soon after that encounter, the red cross brought food and water to that woman's street, and new york's mayor has promised to provide more provisions to the rdest hit areas through the weekend, if not longer. in new jersey emergency crews and the national guard are still going door to door searching for survivors where families have been stranded by floodwaters. some shore residents have been allowed back to view the damage to their homes, but other areas, including atlantic city, are still under mandatory evacuations. progress in getting power to

the people, con edison says all of manhattan will have electricity by tomorrow. let's repeat that. they say all of manhattan will have electricity by tomorrow, but many outages in new york city's outer boroughs and northern suburbs could last another week. some two weeks more in the dark. about 4 million homes, and businesses in the region are still without power right now. and as people across new york and new jersey struggle to get back to normal in the wake of the storm, one of the biggest challenges is just getting started. >> absolutely. millions are facing massive transportation problems, lining up in droves for buses, trains and gasoline. more from abc's alex perez. >> reporter: superstorm sandy has led to a flood of desperate drivers waiting in lines miles deep just to get gas. so we're here in hasbrouck heights, new jersey, where the line for gas stretches out of sight.

we're going to find out just how long the line is. car number 5, 28, light pickup, number 58. >> i got here at 9:59 a.m. and it's 1:00 in the afternoon. i'm by myself. i can't leave the car. i feel like i'm going to faint over here. >> reporter: 102, but lines in new jersey and new york not just for gas. >> you're seeing the line completely around the building. >> reporter: with the subway largely out of commission in brooklyn, the line of people waiting for the bus stretched for blocks. >> where are the buses? >> reporter: driving wasn't much easier either. checkpoints were set up on the highways to force people to carpool. so this is car number 150, and this line continues further than the eye can see. after hours of waiting, those at the end are in for some bad news. >> no more gas, guys. >> reporter: sandy may be long gone, but certainly not forgotten, and already some stations say they are completely dry out of gas. a few owners we talked to say it'll be at least ten days before they're able to restock. alex perez, abc news, hasbrouck

heights, new jersey. >> that's a problem if you don't have all the trains running or buses running and using your car or you're using gasoline for your generator because you don't have power yet like me. >> you're in the northern burbs. could be two weeks. >> they're telling us two weeks. again, we have our lives. we do have a home to go back to. when you look at this devastation, you have to count your blessings. >> you put a lot of things into perspective. stuff that means something and something that absolutely does not. >> but i have to say i thought earlier that we reported that there wouldn't be a shortage in gasoline. >> we reported that there wouldn't be a spike in prices because people now are worried about building their homes and getting back to normal life, not traveling, so the demand is going to go down a little, so prices will get back to 3 bucks a gallon pretty soon, but the demand is for right now in the immediate aftermath is up, so be patient, everybody. it's going to be a long few days.

so this, no doubt, is the very last thing any of us want to hear right now and i hate to even say these words. >> same here. >> another storm is potentially on the way. >> forecasters say a nor'easter is developing off the coast and could hit midweek. here's meteorologist jim dickey of accuweather.com. >> good morning, rob and sunny. still keeping it chilly, unfortunately, across the northeast of new england. what's left of sandy low area of pressure across canada dragging in chilly air. many spots still without power. not what we want to see. rough, that's going to continue. this northwesterly wind continues to bring in cold air so through today, through the weekend so becoming progressively colder. this sets the stage for potential storm system. again, not what we want to see. should be noted no matter what happens here nothing like what we saw with sandy as it moved inland, but more of your typical nor'easter on tap here. two possible tracks, one takes it out to sea, could swing back inland and talking rain and potentially snowfall. rob and sunny, back to you. > that's a significant problem. that's a significant problem because you have a lot of

these elderly people like we saw in the report from staten island in their homes, and it's cold, and they can get hypothermia at 60 degrees, something like that. >> some of the lows this week are in the 30s. winter is -- we're getting deeper into fall, and it's getting chilly out. plus, if there is another storm and winds, all that debris on the ground. >> and snow. >> it would just be insult to injury to say the least. let's keep our fingers crossed this thing goes out to sea, but we just don't know. we'll see. and there's a potential it could hit tuesday, which would be election day, so an already complicated political picture gets even muddier, so we'll, of course, follow that over the next few days so keep it here on abc for that. still ahead, four more days, as we said, until voters cast their ballot for president. >> we'll talk to our senior washington editor rick klein about how things are looking in the campaign's final days, but first another look at how to help the victims of hurricane sandy. you're watching "world news now."

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sending you monthly doses right to your door so you will never forget to maintain your system. sign up at rid-x.com. welcome back. there are just four days to go in the race for the white house, and the candidates are now getting back to full-time campaigning after hurricane sandy. >> so what effect has the storm had on the campaign? for that we're joined by abc senior washington editor, rick klein. good morning to you, rick.

as always, thanks for being here. sandy was the story of the week. there was so much media attention devoted to the storm. how did both candidates really get taken off their message? how did that impact the overall campaign, do you think? >> one thing it did, it just freezes things in place and took away the momentum from mitt romney. he essentially had to go down for several days in the middle of the final week of the campaign. that's bad news if you're the challenger, and for president obama, it gave him a chance to do his day job, and that day job happens to be being the president, so he was able to appear in the disaster zone, able to marshal the resources and show he was in control, have a commander in chief moment while mitt romney was struggling how to be a candidate in a time of a national catastrophe. >> and good favorability marks coming out after the storm for the president. >> indeed. we had almost eight in ten people saw the president's reaction to the storm favorably. those are astoundingly positive numbers, and you even had republicans, including the prominent republican chris christie, praising him for his

efforts, so all around praise for the president. in reacting to this, he's able to look the part, and people seemed to react to what he was doing. >> well, let's talk about that reaction, because we've just learned that even mayor bloomberg has somewhat endorsed president obama, and as you just mentioned, i mean we've seen sort of a bromance, right, between governor christie, who has been such a supporter of romney, and now barack obama, i mean, he has been effusive in his praise of the president. what is your sense as to what effect that may have on this election? >> mitt romney has been trying for the longest time to be a bipartisan, even post-partisan leader, and mitt romney is now seeing barack obama play that role in real life. chris christie to go out of his way to praise him and mayor bloomberg's endorsement. mayor bloomberg epitomizes the idea of someone beyond party labels so for him to come off the sidelines now and cite president obama on his position

on climate change and endorsing his candidacy, i don't think there are a lot of swing voters waiting around to see where the mayor of new york comes down on the race but reinforces the concept of president obama as someone who is able to cross party lines and get things down and be forward looking in terms of his agenda. so i think it just comes at a well-timed moment for the obama campaign, a time where they're feeling wind in their sails to get a boost like this is definitely a help. >> especially considering bloomberg is an independent and in the spotlight with the storm. of course, all of this is a numbers game. we know the ground game is in full effect on both sides here, so what is it looking like in terms of the battleground states, most importantly ohio, of course? >> you march across the battlegrounds, and you are seeing a president obama edge, including in ohio where as we talked about, 50% plus in polling, over and over again we see an edge for president obama in mitt romney's must-win state of ohio, so we're going to see the candidates spend

a lot of time up there. ohio will get a ton of attention from both candidates. president obama knowing that's a place where he can stop mitt romney cold, so you look at this map right now, and you can continue to have to say, president obama has the edge. >> we're hearing that mitt romney is going to pennsylvania. most people would say, why spend time there? i mean, that clearly is joe biden's backyard. >> maybe this is a head fake, a bit of a hail mary from the romney campaign. the intriguing thing is the obama campaign is responding with advertising in those states. they're not sending the president there directly, although bill clinton is spending time in minnesota and joe biden, son of scranton, will be in pennsylvania before this is out. >> very interesting final few days here. rick, you've been a great asset to us through the campaign season. we'll hear from you after tuesday, the big day. rick klein again, our senior washington editor, thanks again, rick. we'll be right back after this.

♪ some folks like to get away take a holiday from the neighborhood ♪ ♪ hop a flight to miami billy joel, billy joel. >> i love hearing that song. >> new york boy. >> yes, indeed, one of the best. >> well, now it's time for "the skinny," and we've sort of been

talking about people pitching in for the victims of hurricane sandy, storm sandy, and now we're seeing it again. bruce springsteen, jon bon jovi. christina aguilera, they're going to perform a live concert to benefit hurricane sandy victims. and i think that's just going to be -- and, of course, billy joel. that's going to be absolutely remarkable. we know billy joel grew up on long island, very, very hard hit by the storm. >> some of the most iconic new york songs ever. you know what i mean. >> of course. >> when you think new york, you think billy joel songs. it's amazing. >> it's amazing, so they're going to help. >> it will air on nbc tonight. >> that's right, and also very interesting, i mean bruce springsteen, we know that he hasn't been a big fan of governor christie, right? >> right, and a big supporter of the president. >> of the president, and he's even sort of been -- he snubbed governor christie over the years at concerts and at least one op-ed piece even criticized his policies, but now he's praising governor christie for his

efforts, and i think we can all agree, regardless of your politics, governor christie has just hit it out of the park. he has shown tremendous leadership. >> emotion. >> emotion, he's -- >> compassion, the whole package. >> he's been compassionate when he's had to be so even, of course, bruce springsteen says we're a band you can't separate from the jersey shore. still a bar band at your service so we're going to do this tonight from our hometown to your hometown and send it out to all the people working hard down there and also to the governor, who has done such a hard job this past week. >> during the concert. yeah, mentioned that. >> accordingly -- according to a blog newjersey.com. backstreets.com. >> christie loving obama and see the boss loving on christie. >> i'm so confused. >> a bipartisan orgy. everybody loving each other. >> i love that. >> tragedy trumps politics, so that's great to see that. also speaking of the store

here, chelsea handler going to donate $100,000 to the red cross. putting her money where her mouth is. important for her because she is a native of new jersey, so this does hit close to home and probably a good time to remind people if you want to help out too, text the word redcross to 90999, and that will through your cell phone donate 10 bucks to the red cross so, thanks, chelsea, for chiming in there and giving money. your home state appreciates that for sure, and abc getting into the act, as well, because monday, november 5th we are calling it here at the network a day of giving across all of our shows kicking off things in the morning with "good morning america," of course, they'll dedicate their second hour at 8:00 a.m. to raise money for the relief efforts and encouraging viewers to donate to the red cross and then live "kelly and michael," the ladies of "the view" will do something so check out all of our shows to learn more about how you can give. so it's kind of a network news divisionwide effort. >> fantastic. >> absolutely. absolutely.

well, we've spoken a bit with bruno del granado earlier about the -- or we're going to about the 2012 cma awards. >> yes, big night last night. >> well, check this out. a lot of winners. we thought taylor swift would be a huge winner. she was shut out, but vocal group of the year, little big town, "pontoon" and song of the year, "over you," blake shelton and miranda lambert. really big, big year for them. they're, of course, a married couple. and let's see, new artist of the year, hunter hayes. >> and they honored some of sandy victims, as well. and your boy chris brown back in the news, as well, your favorite -- >> so for halloween he decides to dress up as aerrorist for rihanna's -- yes, with his posse for rihanna's party. i just -- i mean, he just got this wonderful probation report, and this is what he does. he just -- he can't help himself.

>> showed up at a party dressed as a terrorist as he tries to combat his image. >> nice job, chris. >> who is handling chris' pr? >> they need to be fired. >> man, oh. when will he learn? we'll be back. well, this, of course, has ♪ [ female announcer ] life is full of little tests, but your basic paper towel can handle them. especially if that towel is bounty basic. the towel that's durable, and scrubbable. in this lab demo, bounty basic is stronger than the leading bargain brand. everyday life? bring it with bounty basic. the strong but affordable picker-upper... now costs even less. try these. new cepacol sensations cools instantly, and has an active ingredient that stays with you long after the lozenge is gone. not just a sensation, sensational relief. that's a good thing, but it doesn't cover everything.

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of one drop of the leading non-concentrated brand... to clean 2x more greasy dishes. dawn does more. so it's not a chore. as a terrorist as he tries t well, this, of course, has been a week like no other. hurricane sandy dealt a terble been a week like no other. hurricane sandy dealt a terrible and deadly blow to the most densely populated stretch of the entire country. >> there is still a long way to go, but looking back, we can already see signs of recovery. here are some sights and sounds of this very memorable week. >> the scene in atlantic city is unbelievable. you know, we were on the boardwalk and we could hardly make it back to higher ground. >> there's no streetlights.

there's no stop lights. in fact, the only lights are the headlights of the con ed trucks frantically trying to restore power. >> we felt we had to move our truck because the water was coming in onto the streets, not just in the areas right by the beach, but actually flooding some of the city streets. >> i'm in a community that lost the most people during 9/11, firefighters and cops during 9/11. this community was hit horribly >> dozens -- up to 100 homes have been decimated and left in a rubble. >> the jersey shore of my youth where we used to go all the time, to the boardwalk at seaside heights, and it is gone. those rides are in the atlantic ocean. we'll rebuild, it but for those of us who are my age, it won't be the same. >> we need to make sure that everybody who's lost a loved one knows they're in our thoughts and prayers, and i speak for the

whole country there. my second message is, we are here for you, and we will not forget. we will follow up to make sure that you get all the help that you need until you rebuild. >> the baby right here. >> we won't be able to solve all the problems with our effort this morning. one of the things i've learned in life is that you make the difference you can. >> we have a 100-year flood every 2 years now, and i think at this point it is undeniable but that we have a higher frequency of these extreme weather situations, and we're going to have to deal with them. >> a truly extraordinary week for millions across this country. >> those images. from all of us at abc, absolutely, we are sending you love and prayers and all the

best for what will be a long but worthwhile recovery.